Sports : Vikette bats back freshman pitcher Maddie Cornell, batter Anamosa, 3-1

Freshman Maddie Cornell held Anamosa to one run as the Vikettes win on the road, 3-1 at Anamosa.

Kaley Womochil stretches for a throw from Maddie Cornell to get an out at first base in Anamosa.

ANAMOSA – It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad.

Coach Bari Parrott’s Vinton-Shellsburg softball team ended a three-game losing streak, downing Anamosa, 3-1 in a WaMaC Conference road contest.

The Vikettes got another solid performance from freshman hurler Maddie Cornell on the night, and backed the rookie with a 10-hit attack.

The game was scoreless through three innings when the Vikettes finally broke through. Ashley Strong led off the V-S fourth with a bloop single to right-center, then went to second on Kaley Womochil’s sacrifice bunt.

Jena Relf took one back up the middle for a single to score Strong and give the Vikettes a 1-0 lead. Relf stole second, went to third on Kristin Henderson’s ground out and scored when Mackie Stueck ripped a single right through the pitcher’s glove.

In the sixth, Relf and Henderson slapped one-out singles. Relf was caught stealing on the front end of a double steal. After a walk to Stueck and a wild pitch, senior Kelsey Beatty stepped up and ripped a line shot that literally took the glove off of the Raider first baseman. Devon Ankeny – running for Henderson – came in to score and the Vikette lead was up to 3-0.

In the meantime, Cornell cruised. After giving up a single to start the game, the freshman retired eight in a row, a two-out walk in the third, then retired seven more in a row. A lead-off walk in the sixth lead to the Raiders’ only run on only their second hit.

But three ground balls in the seventh would close the book and the Vikettes grabbed the 3-1 win to move to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in the WaMaC.

“It was a good night,” said Parrott. “Maddie pitched a nice game, we had 10 hits and we did not make a error. It was a good performance.”

Cornell struck out seven and walked just two while giving up the two hits. And there was not an out recording the outfield. Besides the strikeouts, Cornell induced one pop-up to second and 13 ground outs.

Relf, Kristin Henderson and Brittany Robertson had two hits each for the Vikettes, and Ashley Boyer added a double.

Saturday, the Vikettes will travel up the road to take on Union in a 4 p.m. doubleheader at the Knights’ newly remodeled ballpark. Monday, the road trip continues with another short trip, as the Vikettes visit Center Point-Urbana in a 6 p.m. WaMaC twinbill.